Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2010 2011

Details for Mechanism ID: 7504
Country/Region: Tanzania
Year: 2010
Main Partner: Not Available
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: NGO
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $0

TITLE: Procurement and Distribution of Food and Nutritional Commodities

Malnutrition among people living with HIV (PLHIV) remains a major challenge to achieving the full impact of interventions aimed to improving the quality of life, productivity and survival. Given that nutrition disorders start early in the disease progression, comprehensive nutrition interventions are increasingly being advocated as an adjunct to ART. The overarching goal of nutritional interventions is to prevent malnutrition and restore good nutritional status of malnourished PLHAs, PMTCT women and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). These interventions also aim to improve adherence to treatment and potentially prolong the pre-ART stage. Food and nutritional support through therapeutic and supplementary feeding is recognized as a critical component of effective care for these patients.

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is funding the Food by Prescription (FBP) program in Tanzania supporting clinically malnourished PLHAs, PMTCT women and OVCs. Many of the more than 250,000 patients served through US Government-funded care and support programs through both Care and Treatment Clinics and home-based care suffer from food insecurity or malnutrition that exacerbates their health status. The importance of nutrition in determining clinical outcomes for people on antiretroviral treatment is becoming increasingly apparent. Currently, the USG/Tanzania is supporting Food by prescription in 8 health facilities (1 referral hospitals, 3 regional hospitals, 3 district hospitals and 1 heath centre in Tanzania). This health facility serves as clusters for extending nutrition support to other close by sites.

LINKAGES: The USG HIV/AIDS sector alone can not respond to the nutrition needs of PLHAs. Therefore PEPFAR is wrapping around with other donors such as UNICEF, WFP and Clinton Foundation to extend nutrition support to more clients by leveraging resources i.e. food commodities and anthropometric equipment and reducing duplication of services. For example, Clinton Foundation supplied PEPFAR with 1.8 metric tons of Ready-to-eat therapeutic foods while WFP has been supplying some PEPFAR partners with foods in areas where they are already operating. PEPFAR is also linking with USAID Economic growth sector for HIV/AIDS impact mitigation and to address issues related to hunger and food security. For example, Recently, PEPFAR and USAID entered into a Public Private Partnership with General Mills International to address nutrition issues through agriculture led growth. Also, PEPFAR is working with USAID Economic Growth to link the PEPFAR nutrition intervention with the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative. TBD will also work with in-country supplementary food manufacturers, for possible procurement of food or nutrition-related commodities. The partner will link with implementing partners providing direct services to patients (e.g., food by prescription) to develop or strengthen models for food supplies management and distribution systems. The partner will also coordinate closely with other partners (including the Medical Stores Department) or the private sector who have experience in commodity distribution in country to ensure that commodities reach the implementing partners

In FY 2010, the USG intends to procure and distribute food and nutritional support to HIV/AIDS patients through both facility and community-care partners. In FY 2010, USG/Tanzania will provide food support to about 25 sites and expand nutrition assessment and counseling to the sites with no food support. Ready-to-use therapeutic food products and fortified supplemental foods will be prescribed to targeted clients. The partner selected to procure and distribute the food must have a successful history of processing and or procuring for nutritional programs supporting PLWHA, in addition to bulk purchasing and distribution of supplies. TBD will adopt proven practices for implementing nutritional support programs for PLWHA.

Geographical coverage: This is a national program, however food support is just offered in few sites in Dar es Salaam, Iringa, Mbeya, Mwanza and Shinyanga.

Contribution to partnership framework: This activity contributes to the partnership framework (PF) goal one, of service maintenance and scale up by investing in care and support services for PLHA and OVCs to reduce morbidity and mortality due to HIV and AIDS and improve the quality of life for PLHIV and those affected by HIV and AIDS, and supporting quality of ART services to PLHAs. While the food procurement is not designed to be a self-sustaining activity, it is aimed at therapeutic food provision for a specified duration within the clinical setting to address immediate and critical food and nutritional deficiencies especially for clients currently on care and treatment programs, PMTCT and OVC. The longer-term food security and availability to the households will be addressed through other linkages with wraparound programs.

M&E: This TBD partner will be for commodity procurement and will also contribute to the service delivery provided by other implementing partners; therefore, the activity does not have direct targets. However, information on the procurement of food and nutritional supplements will be tracked by the USG activity manager and will be monitored against information reported by service delivery partners.

Funding for Care: Adult Care and Support (HBHC): $0

These resourses will be used for food procurement (fortified blended flour, RUTF and F-100) to support the food by prescription (FBP) program. In FY2010 the program will expand to more sites beyond the eight (8) pilot site, prioritizing larger facilities with a higher case load in close by facilities to the current FBP sites.

Funding for Care: Orphans and Vulnerable Children (HKID): $0

1) Procurement and Distribution of Food and Nutritional Commodities for HIV+ /exposed and malnourished OVC. 2) Link FBP facilities with Community's OVC programs to access food and nutritional support to vulnerable OVC.